Claim
Chapter 68
But…” I frowned. “It doesn’t seem like she and Alicia get along either.”
Gabrielle cleared her throat Immediately. “Those aren’t mutually exclusive. She doesn’t like Alicia and
she doesn’t like you either.”
“I see…”
I glanced at her side profile and murmured, “You’re the only person I feel like I can really trust right now.
She answered simply, “I know.”
“I mean it,” I said. “I really trust you.”
That made her turn to look at me sharply. “What’s going on? Did something happen?”
“Nothing.”
I shook my head and gave her a small smile.
So, I was really hoping Gabrielle would never lie to me.
We got out of the car and headed in together when we arrived at the Ford residence.
But right there in the front courtyard, I saw two people I had absolutely no desire to run into–Jonathan
and Alicia.
The Ford residence’s front yard was massive–about an acre of open space, with a long, covered walkway that looked like it was built just for show. You had to walk that path to reach the main entrance. Rare flowers bloomed all year round along the sides, each season bringing its distinct scent.
Up ahead, I saw Alicia tugging at Jonathan’s arm.
“Jonathan, the project team still doesn’t respect me,” she whined. “I spent months on that proposal–can you take a look at it for me?”
Jonathan gave a quiet hum and then subtly pulled his arm away from her grip, pretending not to notice.
Alicia stared down at her now–empty hand for a second, then smiled like nothing happened. “When do you think I can transfer into your secretarial team?”
“You’re already part of the secretarial team,” he replied coolly.
“I know,” she mumbled, lowering her head. “But I just… want to be a little closer to you…”
Jonathan frowned at her, but she jumped to explain herself. “Your grandpa told me to learn from you, remember? Now that the Zimmer family’s company is struggling, if I don’t step it up, we’ll be left in the dust…”
Gabrielle leaned in next to me and let out a quiet snort. “If she were really all about personal growth, she wouldn’t have settled for being his secretary.”
I raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment. After all, I’d made the same kind of mistake once too.
Gabrielle went on, “Come on. Her real goal is to lock Jonathan down. That’s the only way to save her family’s business. You think she’s gonna make it on her own? Please. Not in this lifetime.”
“You seem pretty up to date on what she’s doing at the company,” I said.
“Of course I am,” Gabrielle replied smugly. “You have no idea how ridiculous she’s been. She’s not there to work–she’s there to scope out whether Jonathan has other women around. She’s paranoid as hell. The whole secretarial team has been under her radar.”
She laughed under her breath. “Good thing Jonathan’s personal assistant is a guy. If it were a woman, she probably would have found an excuse to get her fired.”
“She really has that kind of power?” I was surprised. Jonathan always seemed like someone who drew a firm line between work and personal matters. I didn’t think he’d let her get away with that.
“She’s not stupid,” Gabrielle said. “She knows when to pull back so Jonathan doesn’t resent her. She pushes just far enough to make herself seem important, but never crosses a line that would actually piss Jonathan off.”
“That’s where she and I are different.”
I gave a wry smile. “The old me probably didn’t know when to stop. I was impulsive and dramatic. No wonder things turned out the way they did.”
There was no trace of pity in my voice. I talked about my past self like she was someone else entirely.
Chapter 69
Chapter 69
